


Hope, Ashes, and Coffee

by Anxiety_Elemental



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Post-Recall, Pre-Relationship, let mercy say fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 21:10:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17874899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anxiety_Elemental/pseuds/Anxiety_Elemental
Summary: Angela is working late that night when the little robot visits.





	Hope, Ashes, and Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Did you know that Mercy is a burned out, bitter Mercy main? And also that SnowAngel is a cute pairing and there needs to be more of it? Well now you know!

Angela wasn’t going to answer the Recall, but then she received a letter.

 

She’d gotten Winston’s message first, even watched it. It made something forgotten rise up for just a moment, a memory of when she’d believed the work she’d done had been for the greater good. She remembered when she had that kind of hope. She believed in Overwatch once, in its vision of protecting a united world, heroes who could defend the innocent. She deleted the video and ignored the rest of the message, buried it, like so much else from that time.

 

Later, a letter was delivered to her by a polite omnic wearing simple clothes in rich, warm tones. A monk, perhaps with some of the Shambali who travel to spread their messages of unity and forgiveness.

 

“I was asked to give this to you, Dr. Ziegler,” they say, holding out the archaic paper envelope. Angela gives it a dubious look, who writes physical letters? The omnic picks up on her hesitation, “I was told to let you know it’s from an old patient of yours,” they say, “He wishes to make amends for his past behavior.” Her work is mostly with humans, though she has worked on omnic patients in the past, she couldn’t think of anyone who might want to contact her.

 

Mechanically, she takes the letter and thanks the ominc. She walks back inside the tent where she’d been working, a nurse tidying a patient’s bed behind her. She gently opens the envelope, and when she pulls the paper out something slips from the envelope. She catches it quickly, and holds it up to get a better look.

 

It’s a brown feather, small and plain. She knows who the letter is from.

 

Angela unfolds the letter and reads it, too curious to wait. The words are full of hope, a vision of a world and a self better than what came before, not at all what she expected, not from him.

 

Inside there are words of hope and kindness for her too.

 

Some part of her, under all the exhaustion and hurt, thinks that if Winston has hope, and if Genji, after all he’s gone through, has found hope then maybe -

 

Her arms fall to her sides and she screws her eyes shut. She distantly hears the nurse behind her asks what’s wrong.

 

“Fuck,” Angela whispers.

 

\---

Angela tells her coworkers that a personal matter has turned up in Switzerland and she needs to go take care of it in person. Instead, she goes to Watchpoint: Gibraltar.

 

Lena is the first to greet her, zipping towards her in flashes of blue light, brilliant and shining in every way.

 

“Angela!” Lena says, nearly vibrating with the effort of holding back a hug, “It’s so good to see you again!”

 

Angela laughs, Lena’s energy is infectious as always, and holds her arms out. Lena immediately tackles her, nearly spinning them from the force of the hug.

 

Winston lopes up to her, the others who responded to the recall not far behind him. Her old colleague grins wide, ready to share his discoveries and his vision of the new Overwatch. There’s Genji, who looks the same as when she’d last seen him but he speaks with an ease she’s never heard from him before. There’s Zenyatta, an omnic monk, who Genji introduces with glowing praise. There’s a woman in a parka she doesn’t know, unaffected by the weather.

 

“I’m Mei!” says the woman in the parka with a broad, sweet smile, “I worked at Ecopoint: Antarctica. I’m so happy to meet you!”

 

They’re all so happy to see her, friends and strangers like. They’re the scattered dregs of an old abandoned dream and here they are, like nothing had gone wrong and their friends weren’t dead and they weren’t an illegal group of vigilantes. She doesn’t know where they find the resilience that lets them move on from tragedy. She’s not sure she has that anymore.

 

“Are you okay?” Mei asks, open concern on her face, “You look sad.”

 

“I’m fine,” Angela lies, “It’s just overwhelming, being back here.”

 

“Angela,” Winston begins, stepping closer, “I understand if you’re not up to this, no one here will hold it against you.”

 

“No,” Angela says quickly, holding up a hand, “I want to do this. I need to do this.”

 

Angela didn’t know what to do with herself, surrounded by people still so full of hope, when it was all she could do to not crumble to ash.

 

But they needed her, so she had to at least _try_.

 

\---

 

Angela is working late that night when the little robot visits.

 

She is at her desk, going over their inventory of medical equipment, medicine, and other supplies for the medbay. She’s not sure whose desk it used to be but it’s hers now, the only member of the new Overwatch with any formal medical training. Angela knows she won’t be able to rest until she’s made some order of her corner of Overwatch. Then she hears a little whirring sound to one side.

 

It’s a robot of some kind, hovering at about shoulder level. It’s not complicated enough to house the same intelligence as omnics, but still capable of assisting humans and hold some emotions. It’s a small thing, Angela could hold it in her hands, with three anti-grav units and a display with two eyes looking up at her. It’s balancing a mug on its head.

 

It whirrs at her and bobs slightly, causing the mug to slosh. The little robot makes an embarrassed beep, but Angela is distracted by the strong smell of coffee. It’s been a while since she’s had a drink, a snack, or sleep, and she could use the caffeine boost. Angela gingerly takes the mug, and her fingers graze against paper. She turns the mug around and sees a sticky note attached to one side, with handwriting she doesn’t recognize. She sets the mug down and peels off the note to read:

 

_Hi Dr. Zielger,_

 

_Winston told me how you like your coffee._

 

_You seemed sad when we met. Please do not overwork yourself! If you ever need someone to talk to here’s my number!_

 

_\- Mei_

 

The little robot beeps at her, floating over in front of her, looking up at her expectantly, eager. Angela holds the mug to her lips and takes a sip, and it was perfect. Just what she needed.

 

“Thank you,” Angela says to the little robot, “Let Mei know I appreciate it.”

 

The little robot spins in the air and chirps a brief tune, before floating out the door.

 

Angela looks down at the note again, the tidy handwriting, the comm number clearly written right at the bottom.

 

She keeps it.

 

\---

 

“Did she like the coffee?”

 

A single quick affirmative beep.

 

“Did she read the note?”

 

A series of happy beeps.

 

“Did she like it or did was she just being polite? Was it weird? I mean we’re strangers but she seemed so sad! Am I overthinking this? I think I’m overthinking this, I just want her to know she isn’t alone.”

 

A reassuring beep, a longer and deeper note.

 

“Thanks Snowball, I hope I’ll hear from her soon.”

 

Another happy beep.

**Author's Note:**

> For your consideration: Snowball, the ultimate wingbot
> 
> [I'm on Twitter](https://twitter.com/AnxietyElementl) please talk to me about underrated ladies and cute robots.


End file.
